DISQUS

Louis Gray · 1 year ago

The $2.99 price point doesn't bug me. After all, we've paid $5 for Comcast On Demand shows, so this is in line with expectations. As with the iTunes Store on the music side, it'll take a great expansion of the library to make this all it could be. We're looking forward to it. We're also looking forward to getting the updated Apple TV software. I wonder when that shows up...

webomatica · 1 year ago

I think in conjunction with Apple TV, the ease of use might win me over. As mentioned in my last post I'm really close to getting an Apple TV. I may find I am too lazy to get up off the couch and check the mail box for a new movie or a box from Amazon, and a dollar is worth that convenience :)

JC · 1 year ago

I agree that the whole thing feels a bit too limiting. I didn't know about the one-way, one-time only transfer from computer to iPod. That kinda sucks, if you want to start a movie on the iPod, say during a flight, but then decide to finish it on your computer.

Question: If you rent a movie but don't start watching (giving you 30 days to start) and then push that movie to the iPod, does it start the 24-hour thing right then and there? Or does that start when you start watching it on the iPod? How does the iPod know to start the clock without an Internet connection? If you don't sync your iPod for another thirty days, does the movie refuse to play?

Not being able to transfer between the Apple TV and iPods or computers is even worse. You have to decide from the get-go where you want to watch, which is very un-Apple.

Another huge confusion is figuring out which movies are only rentable, which ones are rentable or purchaseable, and which ones are only for purchase. Way too confusing for the average user. Apple should at least create a rental section of the iTunes Store, so you at least know which ones can be rented without clicking them all one by one.

I also found a few movies which were both for rent and sale, but only the rent price showed up. Next to the "buy" button was blank. Mystery price? Very odd.

I suspect Apple will figure most of these these things out soon, and hopefully talk the studios down from the overbearing restrictions eventually.

The Apple TV software update is supposed to arrive in two weeks, by the way. For the person who asked earlier.

webomatica · 1 year ago

JC I had that same question about renting a video, pushing to an iPod, and then starting to watch it on the iPod - does the timer start there? I believe so, because since the copy has moved to the iPod, the Mac is no longer keeping track. When I look at the rented video on the iPod, it has the red countdown on it.

I would imagine a lot of these restrictions came from the studio end and not Apple, in order to get all the studios on board. Hopefully, as you mentioned before, the restrictions will relax over time.

Podophile · 1 year ago

According to Apple's press release yesterday, rented movies are only compatible with the iPod classic, iPod nano w/video, iPod touch, and iPhone. Sucks for people who still have a perfectly good iPod video.

webomatica · 1 year ago

Podophile - yep I obviously just realized my iPod Video is not able to handle rentals. Bummer.

Also, in the TOS I did confirm this one-device per rental limitation. So be aware of this if you push your rental to an iPod or Apple TV, or rent on the Apple TV.

"You must be connected to the Service when moving or streaming movies. Once a movie is moved, it is no longer viewable on the sending device. You may only move movies to another device from your Mac or Windows computer. Movies downloaded directly to your Apple TV may not be moved."

Rob O. · 1 year ago

$2.99 is the early adopters price - it'll drop in a few months to become more competitive. But even at that, it sure beats hoofing it down to Blockbuster to rent a disc, then ripping the DVD to transfer to the iPod.

What's the download time like on a feature-length movie? And how much space do those files seem to chew up on your iPod Touch? And are the movies formatted in widescreen to take advantage of the Touch and/or iPhone?

webomatica · 1 year ago

Well the file size for the movie I downloaded was 1.30 GB so I think you could figure that out for your connection or how much space it would take up on an iPod. Yes, the video was formatted for widescreen, it looked really great on the iPod Touch.

ScottUA · 1 year ago

Interesting review...I wondered how the iPod rental system would work. $2.99 isn't a bad price considering you don't have to leave your home and you get almost instant results.